Part of our Day Two excursion took us to The Rogue Potters.
You’ve got to love a group of fun-loving potters who are tacking onto the “official” Pottery Tour. With a few signs on the side of the road, they’re pulling a few pottery-loving shoppers into their stop… including me!!!

So glad we did the entire tour yesterday.
We did the Pottery Tour again today… but many of the shelves were already empty?!!!
Like these shelves of Ellen Shankin at Will Swanson’s studio stop.

While at Bob Briscoe’s studio, there were shelves that were empty and totally gone!!!

We started out at the studio of Robert Briscoe. Always our first destination. So many great artists all in one location. It’s also the furthest north… and then we work our way down from there. There are seven studio locations on the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour… showing 51 artists along the way. It’s a wonderful day of pottery fun with friends, artists & pots!!!

So many great potters… so much great pottery… which only makes me dream…
“Wouldn’t it be GREAT to be one of the invited guest artists of the Minnesota Pottery Tour?”
Of all the locations, Bob Briscoe’s would be my dream location to join the group!!!
The array of work there is wonderful. Closest to my style and yet completely different.
Plus the artists there are all so nice… I would love to “play” with them for a full weekend!
Some day… dare to dream… maybe we need to start a grassroots, write-in campaign???

Bob Briscoe pots… so many everywhere… so many that I would love to take home with me!

Fun to see so many pots… and so many people admiring them. Like this pair admiring the work of Suze Lindsay. It’s a great weekend for potters everywhere… promoting the “culture” of handmade wares by ceramic artists from around the country.

And a welcome “surprise” from Matt Metz with a slight change in his signature style… dark clay with a quick slip-dip before his trademark sgraffito technique.

One of my favorites at the first stop… ceramic banana salt & pepper shakers
by Kent McLaughlin!!!

So many pots… so many textures… so many great ceramic artists in such close proximity.

Fun to get a glimpse behind the tent of my friend & potter Steven Hill… and his box of overstock mugs!!! Especially good to see that there are so many “holes” in the box from those that have already sold!!!

Throughout the day, it was so nice to see so many of the vase hosting beautiful flowers – fulfilling the “destiny” of the vase and its ultimate purpose!

One of the most “shocking & amusing” sights during Day One of the Pottery Tour?… discuss.

Stop #2 on the Minnesota Pottery Tour.
Already did some damage $$$ with Bob Briscoe & Matt Metz.
Now we’re moving on to Steven Young Lee… one of my former teachers!!!

I’m headed up to Minnesota for a fun weekend with friends, family and a LOT of pottery!!! It’s the annual St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour. Seven studio locations with 51 incredible potters… with TONS of pots for me to see, fondle, covet and possibly add to my collection?! This could be dangerous $$$ ?!

Hard to believe it’s almost time to start up again…
seems like Spring might have finally made it to Chicago?!
Ironic to be talking SUMMER Art Fairs already, huh???

Mark your calendars…
and let’s hope the weather clears up for these art fair weekends.
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Schaumburg Prairie Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, May 24th, 2014 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, May 25th, 2014 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center
201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg, Illinois

Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, June 7th, 2014 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, June 8th, 2014 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Burlington Park on Chicago Avenue between Washington & Garfield Streets
in Hinsdale, Illinois

Evanston Lakeshore Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, August 2nd, 2014 – 11:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, August 3rd, 2014 – 11:00am-6:00pm
Located in Dawes Park along beautiful Lake Michigan
on Sheridan Road between Church & Davis in Evanston, Illinois

Art In The Garden : A Grassroots Art Fair
Saturday, August 30, 2014 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, August 31st – 10:00am-5:00pm
1205 Hutchings Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025
One block west of Waukegan Road, between Lake Street and Glenview Road.
It’s a special weekend to play with My Talented Friends!!!
We’re at the home of metalsmith Amy Taylor, with our other artist friends…
ceramic artist Cory McCrory, metalsmith Carole Axium and photographer John Caruso.

Art In The Barn
Saturday, September 27th, 2014 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday, September 28th, 2014 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Located on the grounds (and in the barns) of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
on Route 22 in Barrington, Illinois – Lower Barn E4 & E6

“My Home For The Holidays” Home Show
Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, November 23rd, 2014 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Contact me for invitations & more information…

My favorite metalsmith Sarah Chapman is downstairs in the Lillstreet Gallery for the opening of her Jewelry Trunk Show. Stop by tonight to see her and her incredible jewelry!!! She’s here tomorrow too – teaching a workshop, showing in the Gallery… and we have plans for hot fudge!!!

And if you can’t make it to see her in person, her jewelry will be here for awhile. And there are PLENTY of these signs everywhere with her picture on them. Ha!!!

So last Friday night was Empty Bowls at Lillstreet Art Center.
I was too “busy” focusing on my income taxes to attend the event, but twelve of my bowls were there! From what I’ve heard, they sold over 650 bowls and raised over $9,000 for local food-related charities.

Apparently, one of my students brought her Mom & Dad to the event. They looked around, each picked out a bowl… and low & behold, Shea’s Mom picked one of mine!!! Out of a sea of bowls, she picked one of my class demo bowls where I did the white slip swirl through the inside of the bowl. Looks even better with yummy soup inside!!!

And then during class tonight, Shea surprised me with a gift! She gave me one of her beautiful slip-trailed bowls… yeah me! I had mentioned that this one was my “favorites” of the slip-trailed bowls while she was doing it. And she remembered. Weeks later, after firing, glazing & firing again, it finally came out of the kiln. And looked beautiful. Can’t wait to add some of my own soup into it… or better yet, hot fudge with some ice cream… merely the vehicle to get the hot fudge into my mouth! Thank You Shea!!!

I found these beautiful paper works today online while surfing Colossal.com. I was first drawn to the beautiful patterns, but was then enthralled when I found out that they were all made out of thin, cut & rolled strips of paper!!! Amazing.

“Rabie” – by Gunjan Aylawadi…

“Against The Wind” – by Gunjan Aylawadi…

“Derweze” – by Gunjan Aylawadi…

According to Colossal.com…
The Sydney, Australia-based artist Gunjan Aylawadi creates intricate, colorful sculptures that appear to resemble woven textiles. However, upon closer observation, her work—inspired by patterns and motifs in Islamic art—are made entirely from curled paper. The process, long and intricate, can cost the artist months on a single artwork. And not just any old paper will do. For example, “Against the Wind” is made from hand-cut strips of paper from old music books, which are then individually hand rolled and assembled. Although complicated, Aylawadi’s reasons for making art are simple: “What I enjoy most about making my work is the experience people have when they look at it,” she says. “They stop for a moment to have a closer look and the moment turns into long minutes of being fascinated by the beauty a simple medium like paper can add to the work in front of their eyes.”

Kind of reminds me of my old high school days… playing with the old paper craft of quilling. Now if only I had Gunjan’s work as inspiration back than, imagine what I could have been doing?!!! A little bit more than this old “sampler” I made many years ago. And no, I haven’t kept it all these years. My Mom found it when they were packing to move and passed it back on to me. Now what to do with it???

I love when I hear from blog readers…. and hear their stories of how my little blog,
or my pottery, has somehow impacted their lives. Here’s one such case…

Your website was my inspiration.  Don’t know how I happened on to it
but my students were fired up after I presented the lesson.  I teach
high school art at Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia.
I have 120 – Art 1 students; mostly freshmen.  First we made stamps
and then we made plates (slump mold into plastic picnic plates).
Then we used the stamps to imprint the plates.  The project was a very
fun success.  Thanks so much for sharing your ideas.     – Barbara